Engine-furnace



(No Model.)

x J-QH. ELWARD. ENGINE PURNCE.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

y JOHN H. ELWARD, OF `POLO, ILLINOIS.

Bachata-FuRNAci-z.l

`SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.2`76,372, dated April 24:, 1883,

Application filed october eo, 1882. (No model.)

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN H. ELWARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Polo, in the county of Ogle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful 'Im provements in Boiler Attachments for Steam-Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a longitudinal section of a boiler furnace embodying my improvements, said ,figure showing also a snicient portion of theI boiler and the transporting devices to clearly illustrate the method of applying the features of my invention. Fig. 2` is an end view without the supporting mechanism. Fig. 3 is an end view, showing a hopper for feeding chaff or other light material. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of that shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows the said hopper in another position. Fig. 6 is a perspective of a part of the door. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the steam-exhaust pipe and nozzle. Fig. 8 shows the door on the inside of the furnace detached and the rod by which it is actuated. The features otl my invention are especially applicable to the traction or portable engines which are transported from one place to another and areemployed for thrashing and other farming purposes. The ground-Wheels ofthe boiler proper, the engine, and the driving mechanism may be of any desired construe tion, though I prefer to employ` those shown in the patents heretofore granted to me.

In the drawings, A2 represents the outer shell of the boiler. This shell extends from the rear end plate, a, to the plates B B. Within the boiler is situated the large nre-Hue C', extending from the rear plate a. to the front plate c', passing throughl plate c. Between the rear plates, a ando, is the rear chamber, C, and between the front plates, c and B B', is the front chamber, C2. The lire-flue C ex-L. tendsfrom the outer rear wall, a, to the inner front wall, c'. The returnflues are represen ted by D, and communicate at the ends with the chambers C and C2. The fire-due C is situated eccentrically relatively to the outer shell ofthe boiler. The rear end of the tire-Hue is utilized as a furnace-chamber, this chamber being represented by D'.

D2 is the hearth-plate, situated across the y furnace, at the rear end, at a suitable distance from the bottom of the main flue.

B3 is the bridge-wall, situated at a proper point within the Hue, this wall and the plate D2 being adapted, as shown, to sustain the grate-bars d. The bridge-Wall D, unlike the bridge-walls heretofore used, is not attached in any way to the fire-Hue, butissituated loosely therein, and can be removed at any time. 1t is constructed to have the wall D3, one or more webs, D4, and two or more hooks or seats at d2. The web or webs D4 support the wall vertically,and the gratebars d, seated in the hooks or seats d2, prevent the wall from moving horizontally. The hearth-plate D2 is provided with hooks or seats d?, similar to those at d2.

Beneath the rear end of the boiler and furnace is situated the ash box or pan E. It is elongated, and communicates with the interior ofthe main flue by a passage at 'E' ruiming upward beneath the plate D2. Through this passage E' the ashes which drop from the grate` may escape into the pan after being drawn outward by the operator. This pas.- sage E is situated behind the water-.space of the boiler. Forward of the rear end of'the plate c-.that is to say, forward of the rear end of the water-space-there is formed an airopening, E2. This is situated directly beneath the gra-te, and is for the purpose ofinsuring amuch greater draft than can be obtained .by the'ordinary draft-openings, such increase of draftbeing necessary when `burning the light materials, to be hereinafter described. This air-opening can, when desired, be closed by a slidingdoor,e,carred bya1'od,e',Fig.8,running to the rear end of the furnace This aperture is formed by means ot' separatepieces of boiler` iron, arranged as shown, and joined to theshell of the boiler and to the shell ot' the lire-flue. A water-space of about three inches is left at a2 between the apertures E2 and the rear inner wall, c. When required, this aperture Ezmay be also used for removing ashes or other Ina-I terial fromthe furnace-cb amber. The ash-pan E is provided at the ends with swinging doors e2, and byopening these any desired amount l of air may be allowed to pass upward into the furnace. IV prefer, however, to.admit air to the ash-pan by means of doorways in the `side ofthe pan, provided with doors, as shown at E4. The doorway to the furnace is closed by a door formed of the parts F Fl F2. The outer part, F2, is of substantially the same dimensions as the doorway, and is hinged on a vertical line, as shown atf. The part F forms a draft-door, whereby air can be admitted below the hearth-plate and the grate. The central part, F, of the door is hinged at its lower edge to the part F2 on a horizontal line, as atf, so that it can swing vertically into and out from the furnace, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Its dimensions are somewhat greater than those of the opening in the part F2, so that when it (said part F) is in a vertical position it fits tightly against the inside of part F2. X is a weight attached to the vertically swinging doorby means of a rod, X', which passes through the weight, and to which the weight is secured adjustably by a set-screw.

In Fig. 6, I have shown a very simple but advantageous device for holding open the part F', and also for locking it when closed. It conl sists of a wedge-shaped piece, F5,of metal, piv oted near its thicker end atfs. If the door be partially openedand the thinner edge of the wedge be dropped behind the door, it will lbe held outward, and it can even be supported in a positionsubstantiallyhorizontal. On theother hand, if the wedge be raised and the door closed and the wedge then be dropped again into the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it will securely hold itV shut.

FG FG are elongated curved doors above and around the upper portion of the fire-flue door. They are hinged on substantially the central line of the boiler, and are fastened by means of catches at F7. These doors and the apertures which they close render it very easy to clean the returning-dues and the rear smoke-chamber around the fire-Hue. When coal or wood is to be used as fuel the whole door is opened on the hinge at f, that the fuel may be introduced. When straw or other similar light material is to be used as fuel it is to be pressed against the door F, which will yield and swing downward to the hearth-plate to permit the introduction of the fuel. After the fuel has passed the door and the fork dr other implement has been withdrawn the door is again raised to the vertical position by the weight X.

l The vertically-swinging door is provided with numerous perforations,f2, or with regisers, l(jor with large apertures, as shown at V, hg. i

Heretoforeithas been customary when burning straw to attach to the front of the boiler orfurnace a tube or trough,this tube or trough connecting with or forming a part of the firedoororfurnace-dooritself.` Ihoweverdispense entirely with such tubes, as there are incident to them many-'disadvantages which I obviate. It will be seen thatI employ adoor situated substantially as is situated the ordinary. furnacedoor. The center of this horizontally-swinging doorisprovided with avertically-swingingpart,

as described. This arrangement enables me to readily feed fuel of either classi-that is to say, either hard fuel, such as wood or coal, on the one hand, or light fuel, suoli as straw, on the other-without necessitating that any part should be removed or changed. Moreover, in using these constructions having the aforesaid feeding-tubes, the object has been to preventas much as possible the entrance of air to the furnace where the straw was being consumed; but in my present construction my object is exactly the opposite of this-that is to say, in burning the straw and other similar material I introduce a great amount of air to secure perfect combustion, and for this purpose I provide three entrances at the end, as shown at f2 and V, and with these combine the bottom aperture, E2below the grate. The air-entrances thus arranged prevent any clogging by unburned masses ot' straw and insu-re the'oomplete combustion of all the fuel.

Another object of my invention is to utilize the chaff or dust which is obtained by thrash.- ing the heads of the wheat or other grain when such grain is harvested without cutting the straw by the operation ordinarily called head ing,7 for, as will be readily understood, there is but little straw passes through the thrashingmachine that can be utilized as fuel. This chaff cannot be fed through an ordinary fur-4 nace-door, nor through the tubes hereinbefore alluded to; but I have, after considerable eX- perimenting, found that it can be utilized for fuel if it be fed to the furnace through a narrow throat to which there is access independently ofthe ordinary furnace-door,such throat causing it to enter in a sheet or spray, which permits combustion to great advantage. I u the drawings I have shown amethod of introducing chaff in such manner that it can be made available to produce great heat.

T represents a hopper insertedinto the rear end of the furnace. It is as wide as practicable in the direction across the furnace, but is made to contract in the longitudinal direction of the furnace until it forms a narrow throat or passage, t.

I-prefer the construction of hopper and feeder shown in Figs. 3 and 4; but, if desired, it may be situated at the side of the door F F F2, as shown at T', orit may beinserted through the side of the shell and the side ot' the fireiiue. In either case it is provided with an outwardly-swinging doorfaTZ. It is not inserted in nor has it any connection whatever with the ordinary door itselfof the furnace. The chaff or dust is sifted, as it were, down into the fur nace through the long, narrow throat, and by opening the register -V or by means of the openingsfz, and by nozzling down?7 the eX- haust-pipe in the smoke-staok-that is, redlicing the escape-orifice of the exhaust-pipe in the manner to be hereinafter described--a strong draft is caused, and the stream of dust and chaff becomes instantly dry and ignited, and the flame which results is carried through the 'dre-fine and the return-flues, causing great heat.

The devices for narrowing the nozzle of the exhaust-pipe have an intimate relation with IOC IlO

IZO

the devices above described used in burning light material.

N2, Fig. 2, is the exhaust-pipe, running in the usual manner into the smoke-stack. I attach to the end in the stack an elbow, N, Fi g. 7, having a flat ange, n. On this flange fits and slides a cut-olil plate, S, attached to a cogged arm, H3, projecting-outwardly through the smoke-stack.l With this cogged arm engages a small pinion, N4, mounted on a shaft, N3, which can be rotated from either end ofthe engine by means of hand-wheels, as shown at HG. Instead of these devices, the arm H3 may have a handle for operating it directly. By these devices I can easily cause the draft to be greatly increased, so as to insure the perfect combustion of straw or chaff or other light material when used as fuel.

By having air-aperturesin the front end of the furnace, as I have shown in the door above the grate, I can by -increasing the draft assist in spreading the chaff over the tire-bed and preventing its accumulating in any one place, and by means of the devices below the furnace I can supply a strong, copious, independent current of air to effect a perfect and rapid combustion of the chaff. However, I do not wish to be limited under all circumstances `to the combination of the two sets of devices for the admission of air--one4 above the grate and the other below-for many of the advantages which I attain can be secured if the front end of the furnaceisclosedwhen thedraftisstrongenough to draw chaff away from the narrow throat and properly spread it.

While going uphill much trouble is generally experiencedfrom the falling of cinders, ashes, &c., through the rear door. Upon the rear platform I place a receptacle adapted` to catch and retain any materials that may drop from the furnace. i lt is representedat El. lt is constructed of sheet metal, and is formedto have a curved and sloping mouth at c', which permits it to beitted tightly against the end of the furnace, and at the same time prevents interference with any of the other parts. It may be secured upon the platform by any preferred means.

O is a large door in the front end, adapted to permit free access to the front part of the main tire-flue. This door has an aperture covered by a small supplemental door, O2. It is sometimes necessary to have access to the frontsmoke-chamber or the fire-tine when it is not desirable to make an opening as large as would be made by opening the door O. Such limitedaccess is provided by the door 02.

Beneath the front end of the boiler there is I donotberein claim any of the features direct-` lycombined withtheste'am-domefor conducting dry steam therefrom, as I have made this the subject-matter of another application which I 4have filed'. Nor do I claim herein any of the features pertaining to the device for heating feed-water, preferring to claim all such patentable matters in the other applications, which, together with this case, are divisions of the application filed December 29, 188i.

1`. In a portable engine, the combination, with the furnace, of a door constructed of au outer horizontally-Swingin g portion pivoted at its edge, whereby the whole doorway can be opened, and an inner part pivoted on a horizontal line along its edge and arranged to swing inward toward the furnace and outward therefrom, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

2. In a portable engine, the combination, with the furnace D' and the hearth-plate D?, of the door having the outer horizontallyswinging portion, F2, the part F, pivoted to said part F2 and adapted to swing into and out from the furnace, and the part F', for closing the ash-pit below the hearth-plate, substantially as set forth.

3. Inaportablecllaffburningengine-furnace, the combination of a door for the admission of coal, provided with apertures for the admission of air above the grate, the hopper T, having a `narrow throat for the admission of chaff independently of said door, means in the smokestack for increasing the strength of the draft through the furnace, and means for admitting air freely into the furnace independently ofthe `at the end ofthe furnace, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the furnace D', of the upper rear door, F2, thelower door, F', hinged to said upper part, F2, and the locking-'wedge F5, arranged and operated substantially as set forth. l

In testimony whereof l affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN H. ELWARD. A

Witnesses:

H. H. Buss, M. P. OALLAN.

IOC

IIC) 

